Guides

Go green with eco-friendly sex toys

Portlanders pride themselves on being leaders in the environmental movement to “go green” — this is the city where you drink out of Kleen Kanteens, shop with canvas bags and bike to work — at the very least. Though many Portlanders have come to know us as their locally-owned, female-friendly sex toy boutique, we couldn’t possibly call Portland home without being body- and Earth-friendly, too. A ten-mile bike commute to work can tell you that saving the planet can be hard work, but, let us assure you, there are much more enjoyable ways to get down with cause!

The average person (nevermind the average, sex-toy loving person) throws out 8 batteries per year, filling up landfills with hazardous waste that leaches into our soil and water. Not sexy. Battery-free rechargeable vibes bring sexy back with futuristic functions and sleek designs. Our favorite planet-loving toy designers like LELO, Jimmyjane, Je Joue, Fun Factory and We-Vibe all create sophisticated vibrators that are made from body-safe, forever-durable (and therefore even greener) silicone and are 100% rechargeable, proving that you can truly have it all — a green product that doesn’t compromise aesthetics, and a pretty sex toy that’s not afraid to get down and dirty for the planet. With an impressive multitude of shapes and sizes, these eco-friendly companies make a toy to suit almost every body.

Greenify your G-spot with the LELO‘s ever-popular Gigi, or keep your eco-efforts undercover with the discreet lipstick-disguised Mia that conveniently charges in the USB port of your computer. Sex and the City‘s Samantha made the rabbit vibrator world-famous, but now you can make your floppy-eared fun world-friendly with the Soraya, which is fully rechargeable.

Fun Factory powers up their line with a smart magnetic charger, making for seamless and completely submersible toys such as the dual-stimulating Calla and Pearly or the petite Semilino. With this German company, vagina owners aren’t the only ones getting a charge — Duke is the only vibrating prostate-stimulating anal plug that’s magnetically rechargeable, while the Cobra Libre, a rechargeable, silicone, vibrating sleeve designed to stimulate the head of the penis, has been zooming off the shelves.

When it comes to eco-friendly penetrative toys, it’s all about material. While stainless steel pieces by Njoy, silicone and aluminum toys from Tantus, and silicone items from Vixen Creations are a great place to start as they’ll never need to be thrown out or replaced, NobEssence’s wooden toys may be the greenest of the bunch. Organic, waterproof, hypoallergenic and smoothly shellacked, these earthy rings, dildos, beads and plugs are made from sustainably-farmed wood.

Non-porous and easy-to-clean glass toys — like the unique pieces from Simply Blown, Luxotiq and Standard Glass — are aesthetically gorgeous and 100% recyclable. Ultra-slick with a good lube and very durable (no matter how excited you get), people who enjoy more pressure on their points such as the G-spot and prostate will love glass’s weightiness.

For those who literally like to fight for the planet, arm yourselves with locally-made floggers and even thigh harnesses by In Her Tube, a company that makes all of their gear from recycled rubber bike tires and tubes. Or, turn to ASLAN Leather‘s harnesses, cuffs and collars made from a unique material they call “vegan leather” that’ll easily withstand a healthy, eco-conscious struggle.

The majority of our lubes are free of body-unfriendly ingredients like glycerin and parabens, and over half of our lube selection is also organic. Lubes by Yes, Hathor, Blossom, Sliquid Organics and Good Clean Love (a lube that scores extra points for being made in Eugene, Oregon) are all organic, primarily vegan and contain pronounceable, hydrating ingredients like Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and natural botanicals.

Although it is, unfortunately, a nearly impossible challenge to completely locally source the high-quality, body-safe  sex products found in any great sex toy boutique, we do our best to stock our shelves with locally-made products. Hand-printed toys bags, hemp bondage rope, porcelain dildos, and many more wonderful products are made here in Portland. The shorter distance these toys need to travel, the smaller their carbon footprint.

Prefer to shop online? We can have your order shipped to you, or help us reduce our mark by choosing the “in-store pick-up” option when you check out. Take it even further by biking over to grab your goodies. We’ll have your order packed up and ready to go in one of our signature hand-stamped, 100% recycled bags when you get here — or bring your own bag! Can’t make the trek to Portland? Don’t worry — we reuse the packing material from our incoming shipments to package our outgoing website orders!

Rechargeable vibrators, organic lubes and sexy reincarnations of alternative materials like wood, glass, steel and bike tubing? Going green’s never felt this good!